Please Remember Me
by Persistence
Summary: Pain and loss is hard, especially when it is someone so close. Hints of Rukia/Ichigo


This is an idea that I had come up with for my other fic, Nurse's Diagnoses, but then changed ideas. However, this idea still stuck around so I decided to make it into a one-shot. If you have not read that fic, don't worry about it, just know that this is of regular time, no soul reapers or hollows, meaning Rukia and all the rest are human.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. The song I used in this fic is "Dante's Prayer" by Loreena McKennitt she owns full rights to the song, I am only using it for this fic and I am not making profit in any way off of this.

* * *

It had happened so fast. Her sister, Hisana, left to go work like she did every day, only this time she never made it. Another car was speeding over sixty miles per hour never stopped and crashed into Hisana's vehicle.

She did not know it had happened or she would have never gone to her class. Instead, she found her brother-in-law, Byakuya, waiting for her outside the entrance. She remembered looking over at Orihime in confusion as she approached him. He told them he would drop Orihime off and he needed to bring Rukia somewhere.

The drive to Orihime's apartment was long in silence. Neither girl daring to speak until the orange haired girl opened the door to get out. She never got a chance to even say good-bye before Byakuya took off. She looked to the side to see Orihime's figure shrinking in the distance in the mirror. That was when he told her what happened and lead her to where she was now: at Hisana's bed side.

Byakuya explained before going into her sister's room that the doctors didn't believe she would make it. She could see out of the corner of her eye him looking over at her before turning away as if expecting her to cry.

She didn't.

Her sister is strong and the doctors don't know what they are talking about. They never met her sister; she is going to show them. Even now as she sat in front of her sister she never shed a tear. She spent the entire time telling Hisana what they were going to do when she got out. Go to the beach, shop, and whatever her heart desired.

A few hours later, Byakuya took Rukia home to get some sleep. She gave one last glance at her sister and felt her heart stop; a pained expression filled it, even after the nurses upped her medication to relieve her of pain.

**When the dark wood fell before me  
And all the paths were overgrown  
When the priests of pride say there is no other way  
I tilled the sorrows of stone**

The next morning came slower than Rukia wanted it to. The expression on her sister's face haunted her mind. She thought for an instance that perhaps her sister had given up hope or was depressed about being in a hospital. That had to be the only explanation. She just needed to cheer Hisana up and tell her she would be out soon. Her sister had always done it for her. Every time she had gotten sick, Hisana would sit and tell her that she would get better soon.

She was surprised when she saw Orihime and Ichigo at the door; both with solemn faces like someone had died. "Hi, we heard about Hisana and wanted to see if you needed anything." Orihime told Rukia who merely shook her head.

"She is fine, she'll be out soon. Actually I was going to see her, why don't you guys come so you can see how good she is doing." Rukia suggested, feeling slightly defensive. Had they given up on her sister too? She mentally scolded herself; they only heard about the car accident and thought it was bad. If they saw her, they would know she was going to be fine.

"Sure, let's go." Ichigo said as he put his arm around Rukia and escorted her to his car.

**I did not believe because I could not see  
Though you came to me in the night  
When the dawn seemed forever lost  
You showed me your love in the light of the stars**

They eventually found a parking spot after searching for five minutes. Rukia made small remarks about Ichigo's driving and how he parked crooked. She waited for him to come back with a remark, but it never came. They remained quiet as they walked through the sliding doors.

One thing caught her attention. Her brother-in-law, Byakuya, was sitting by himself on a bench with his head cast down into his hands. Her eyes followed his hand that reached for the handkerchief that was crumbled in his hands and brought it to his face.

He was crying?

Rukia stared in confusion. Byakuya never cried. She shook her head as she moved forward to wait for the elevator with Ichigo and Orihime on either side of her. She pushed the button again. The stupid elevator wasn't here yet. She turned around and looked around.

"Is there a stairwell, maybe we can take the stairs?" Rukia said hesitantly, feeling anger boil up inside her. She wasn't really upset about the elevator, she was ticked with Byakuya. How dare he give up on Hisana! Didn't he know her? She is a fighter and is not going to just…

The elevator finally opened and Rukia turned to storm in. Ichigo and Orihime weren't even inside as she began pushing the button repeatedly for it to shut and go up to her sister's level. "That asshole" Rukia suddenly shouted as she slammed her fist into the wall to the right of her.

"He is giving up on her! Nothing is going to happen to her! When she gets better, I am going to make sure she divorces him!" Rukia continued to yell, ignoring the soothing circles Ichigo was rubbing on her back. "You believe me, don't you?" She grabbed onto Ichigo's arm.

He looked at her, keeping his expression unreadable. He knew how he felt when his mother died and if he was told she was going to die, he wouldn't have believed it. "Why don't we go see Hisana, I am sure she is lonely in that room." Ichigo told her and she seemed to take it.

The elevator door opened and the white sterile room filled their senses as they reached the floor. Rukia took a step out, but did not move. She felt herself becoming sick to her stomach and crouched down. Ichigo and Orihime were immediately at her side and helped her over to a chair across from the elevator.

Images of Hisana's pain faced raced in her mind again. It was like she wanted to tell her something, but was afraid to hurt Rukia. She felt her breathing increase as she bent forward and had her head between her knees. It was that image that turned into Byakuya crying. He gave up on her, is leaving her to…

Some lawyer he was. All the cases he had won, even the ones that were near impossible because he never gave up. Hisana had always been by his side, supporting him on everything he did, and now when she needed him the most he wasn't there for her.

Her mind began racing for other instances as back up for proof he that he didn't believe in her sister. Every detail about their marriage, she did a quick analyze in her head and found nothing. When Hisana decided to go into teaching, Byakuya paid for her schooling and supported her. When they were deciding to buy a car, he had allowed Hisana to make the decision because he said he trusted her judgment and believed in her.

A tear ran down Rukia's cheek that fell to the floor. She couldn't think of anything to throw at him. It wasn't hopeless. There was still hope!

"_Imagination and reality are two different things. We can hope to live in the imaginary world, but we must also be ready to accept what is reality_." She remember Byakuya saying this after she had done poorly on a test she told him about. She said she hoped to do better on the next. He straightened her out and told her she needed to realize she had to do better. What happens when hope fails?

For the first time since her sister's accident, reality came crashing down on her. She fell off the chair and onto the floor. Ichigo and Orihime bent down beside her as she wept.

Orihime rubbed her friend's back. She had felt the pain of grief when her brother died. She knew if she told Rukia it would be fine and she knew how she feels, it would only discourage her and truthfully she could never know the pain her friend was going through. It was not the same, nor was it for Ichigo when he lost his mother. Now, none of that mattered, it was not their time to grieve. They had done it before and now it was Rukia's turn.

**Cast your eyes on the ocean  
Cast your soul to the sea  
When the dark night seems endless  
Please remember me  
**

Rukia pulled herself off the floor, tears still streaming down her face. She looked at Ichigo and buried her head into his chest as she let out a sobbed cry. Orihime's hand rested on her shoulder for comfort before she backed up.

"I got to see her! Oh god, I got to see her!" Rukia continued to back away before she ran as fast as she could down the hall, not caring if she knocked over anyone in her way. She needed to see Hisana before it was too late.

'Please let me see her again, I'll…I don't know what I'll do, but please let me have a chance to see her!' Rukia thought to herself before she reached the room. Her sister's eyes were still open. She felt her heart jump for joy, she was not too late.

She did not waste time with words or anything else; she raced to her bed and hugged her sister close. "I am so sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Rukia plead to her sister as she cried into her arm. "I shouldn't have been so stupid! I love you so much!" She pulled her head back and saw Hisana smiling with her eyes watery.

"There is nothing to forgive because you didn't do anything wrong. I love you too." Hisana told her younger sister as she kissed her on the cheek.

It was the first time Rukia had seen what terrible condition her sister was really in. The last time she had seen her, she didn't look like this. Was she really that blind the first time she had visited that she didn't notice? She knew she had wasted so much time that she would never get back.

**Then the mountain rose before me  
By the deep well of desire  
From the fountain of forgiveness  
Beyond the ice and the fire**

Hisana smiled at her younger sister and brushed her hair out of her eyes. She saw two figures in the doorway, Ichigo and Orihime, and smiles at them before motioning for them to come inside.

"Rukia, could you give me a moment with these two." Hisana requested and saw the terrified look in her sister's eyes. She slowly raised her hand up to Rukia's cheek. "Don't worry; I am not going anywhere while you're gone." She promised.

Rukia looked down, wiping her eyes once more before complying with her sister's wishes. She stepped out into the hallway and felt more tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She couldn't cry here, there were too many people walking by.

She raised her arm to wipe her eyes on her sleeve when a hand grabbed it. She looked to her right and a nurse was standing there with a sad expression. "Don't wipe them, let them fall. There is nothing wrong with showing tears in front of other people. No one will judge you for loving your sister; in fact, they might be worried if you didn't cry." she told Rukia before walking back to the nurse's station.

**Cast your eyes on the ocean  
Cast your soul to the sea  
When the dark night seems endless  
Please remember me**

"I am so sorry, Kuchiki-san." Orihime whispered as she hugged her friend's sister. When she backed away, Ichigo stepped forward and did the same.

"I wanted to thank you for being there for Rukia now. She needs the support. I don't know how she will be after I am gone. I love my husband, he is a strong man, but I know he is breaking on the inside and won't be able to be there for her because of his own grief. I don't mean to burden either one of you; I'm just so worried about her." Hisana confessed.

"You don't have to worry, Kuchiki-san, we'll take care of her. Especially, Ichigo" Orihime shot a smile at the young man who stepped forward and looked hesitant.

"I was going to ask her if she would marry me." he told her and watched as the smile returned to Hisana's face and a tear in her eye. She raised an arm and he immediately bent down to hug her again.

"I promise to protect and love her." he whispered into her ear and she pulled back to kiss his cheek. She felt like a burden had been lifted from her chest. She was so afraid for Rukia when she saw her continue to act as if nothing was going to happen. She knew she was going to die, there was no other possibility.

"Thank you." Hisana smiled as he backed up. "Can you bring Rukia in?"

**Though we share this humble path, alone  
How fragile is the heart  
Oh give these clay feet wings to fly  
To touch the face of the stars  
**

Rukia came back into the room after Orihime told her it was okay. She went over to the side of her sister's bed and sat down next to her. She laced her fingers into Hisana's hand and rested her head against hers. Ichigo and Orihime stood behind their friend and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as she let more tears fall.

Minutes later, Byakuya returned looking composed in his usual somber look. He did not look at anyone in the room with the exception of his lovely wife who gave him a warm smile. He walked over to the other side of her bed and held her hand as he bent down to kiss her.

"I love you; please forgive me for anything I have ever done to hurt you." He whispered against her lips, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"You already have it like I know I have yours." Hisana replied as she held the two people's hands that were the dearest to her. She gave one last look at her husband and sister before she shut her eyes.

**Breathe life into this feeble heart  
Lift this mortal veil of fear  
Take these crumbled hopes, etched with tears  
We'll rise above these earthly cares  
**

They sat there on the bed for hours until Hisana had been declared dead around midnight. In her hands were those she loved more than life itself. She did not feel pain as she went; she felt peace knowing everything would be alright for those she loved.

**Cast your eyes on the ocean  
Cast your soul to the sea  
When the dark night seems endless  
Please remember me...**


End file.
